Explore Movie Vocabulary
Learn English with movies. Discover how much of a movie’s vocabulary you already know and review unfamiliar words before watching.
The Polar Express
Unique vocabulary and phrases by level
How difficult is The Polar Express in English?
The Polar Express: 72.4% A1–A2 vocabulary; 11.3% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary. Vocabulary size: 840.
Unique vocabulary
- For A2 learners: 19.4% of unique vocabulary is above A2 or marked rare. Preview recurring words and use English subtitles.
- For B1 learners: 11.3% of unique vocabulary is above B1 or marked rare. Preview recurring words and use English subtitles.
- For B2 learners: 7.4% of unique vocabulary is above B2 or marked rare. Try a short scene and check your comprehension; the vocabulary offers a relatively accessible starting point.
8.2% Unclassified. Unclassified vocabulary has no reliable level assignment.
Vocabulary weighted by word occurrences
93.1% A1–A2 vocabulary; 2.5% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary; 2.1% Unclassified.
This counts repeated eligible words. Phrases are excluded from this calculation to avoid counting their component words twice.
Recurring words and phrases to preview
- express (B1): 14 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
An express train wouldn't wake him up now.
- polar (C1): 13 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
This is the Polar Express.
- pole (B2): 12 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
Why, to the North Pole, of course.
- spirit (B1): 12 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
* Rockin' on top of the world Lift your spirits, swing that girl *
- doubter (rare): 5 occurrences in available subtitles.
Subtitle example:
You're a doubter.
Compare with titles in similar genres
- WALL E: 11.7% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.4 percentage points more than The Polar Express).
- The Secret of Kells: 10.6% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (0.6 percentage points less than The Polar Express).
- James and the Giant Peach: 15.3% B2, C1, and rare vocabulary (4.0 percentage points more than The Polar Express).
These percentages describe vocabulary, not the proportion of dialogue you will understand. CEFR labels are estimates, not official film ratings. Accent, speed, songs, context, and your own vocabulary also affect comprehension. Repeated occurrences may include repeated dialogue or lyrics.
How we estimate vocabulary difficulty · Evidence generated: